It’s looking like more by-election nightmares for Rishi Sunak, while his Foreign Secretary laps up the plaudits.
Read all about it in this week's Who's Top, Who's Not.
Flying High: Lord Cameron
Foreign Secretaries are usually expected to be smooth and steady, not rocking the boat whilst keeping a happy shop. But they can do this whilst effectively moving foreign policy forward and having an impact geo-politically.
Lord Cameron’s appointment last year raised eyebrows but his years of experience of domestic politics as Tory leader and global diplomacy as PM seem to be paying off.
This week, Cameron has shifted Britian’s position on a Gaza ceasefire and created the political space for other UK parties to fall in behind (more on that below). He has also strongly condemned Russia over Navaly’s death and imposed additional sanctions, and even took the time to reassert the Falklands as British during a visit to the islands.
He may have upset a few in Washington with his urging for more US aid for Ukraine but if this pot-stirring results in greater American support then this will also have served Britian’s foreign policy well.
Middle Ranking: The Speaker
Was Wednesday Parliament at its worst? It’s certainly down there after the ridiculous party-political procedural shenanigans over the precise wording of a call for a ceasefire that will have absolutely zero real-world impact on events in Israel and Gaza.
WTWN will avoid discussing parliamentary procedure (if only for the need for brevity) but where does the aftermath of the opposition day debate leave us after a week of Labour strong-arming, SNP toy-throwing and Conservative big-talking?
The Speaker is damaged but there is no realistic threat to his position because it isn’t in the interests of the government to remove him (and because the procedure to do so is difficult). The SNP and Tories may well be embarrassed by this episode of political gameplaying; a game that is all the worse for them having lost. Or it could be that the spotlight turns towards Kier Starmer and Labour Chief Whip Alan Campbell and the role they played behind the Speaker’s Chair.
But the Speaker’s authority and impartiality is certainly weakened and that could have a long-term impact on his ability to do his job. How this manifests itself in the chamber – and on his various other responsibilities around the parliamentary estate - remains to be seen but Labour could expect to have a harder time in the coming months as Hoyle fights to re–reestablish his impartiality.
Sinking Quickly: Scott Benton
By-elections are like buses; another one will be along shortly.
So, to Blackpool South where there is very likely to be a by-election in the Spring after an independent parliamentary panel upheld a 35-day suspension of MP Scott Benton. The seat will likely be won by Labour, providing another headache for Rishi Sunak who is facing the demoralizing drip-drip of consistent electoral by-election defeat in a general election year.
The reasons for the by-election are very grubby after Benton was caught breaching Commons rules by offering to lobby ministers on behalf of a fake gambling company for £4,000 per month. In truth, what Benton was offering was not only against the rules but also ineffective.
Impactful lobbying involves developing a strategy, crafting messaging, identifying political objectives, building momentum behind a particular issue, convincing decisionmakers of the merits of an argument and suggesting an effective policy solution. A quick natter with someone in the lobby rarely works, as Benton well knows.